Chapter 5
Kingsley said his statement and now draco had to leave, he went to his kids and smiled once again seeing scorpius blow a bubble estella’s way that she burst immediately. “What an amazing big brother.” Draco smiled and estella ran to him raising her hands for him to pick her up.
“Dad i wish i could go to hogwarts.” Scorpius exclaimed. “Have you seen the hippogriffs, they have got such cool hippogriffs and the werewolves… dad you have to see the werewolves!” He took draco’s hand leading him to the cauldron.
“Werewolves.” Draco says unsure.
"We have plenty of students expressing such traits so its only right they have a class teaching them about it." Harry says.
“Yes there are so many!” Scorpius jumped around the cauldron as estella hugged draco.
"Like remus lupin?"
"Take his name with respect!" Harry says angrily.
"Just took his name potter, surely that isn't a crime." Draco says and estella then stuck her tongue out towards harry, some spit flying through.
“Estella we don’t do that remember.” Draco tells her sternly cupping her face and she looks at harry does it one more time then nods at draco laying on his shoulder. “My apologies potter.”
“One wouldn’t expect different from your kids.” Harry says unamused.
“Well anyways, we should head back home and drop the kids off then we can go to my potions shop.”
“How about i just go and bring the stuff from your potions shop, you can give me the paper.”
“You and potions?”
“People change malfoy, potions not my weak spot anymore.”
“As much as anyone would be glad to hear that I don’t want you in my shop alone, i am rather protective.”
“Or maybe you are hiding something.” Harry narrows his eyes suspiciously at draco and draco scoffs.
“Surely you know more than all the wizards who think i am harmless.”
“You can fool anyone malfoy but not me.” Harry retorts.
Scorpius marches up to harry stomping his tiny feet and gives his best glare. “I attacked you, so take it out on me not my father.”
“Enough.” Draco says before harry can say anything like how his father had been lying about being muggles his entire life. “Potter it won’t take long, i will drop the kids and then we go to the potions shop or we could also run this errand tomorrow.”
“No. We will go to your hideout then to the shop.”
“Hideout?” Scorpius asks draco who just shrugs. It would be a lie to say the three weren’t excited to be back in the elevator to see hogwarts again but draco had other problems to think off. The instructions were to just bring ingredients and by the looks of it, it seemed one was trying to uncover a disguise. He wondered what the pink stone had to do with any of this. He wanted to ask harry but he knew that would just arouse more suspicions in his git head which draco didn’t have the time to deal with. As they stepped out, this time it seemed like everyone was purposely avoiding and ignoring them as they made their way to the floo. Without exchanging any words they all stepped in, draco gave a reassuring nod to the kids and in an instant they were back at the studio. Draco took the kids inside and harry followed.
“Don’t trust me alone with my kids potter?”
“I am taking a look around malfoy.” Harry said and started to scan around touching everything.
“Potter! You need a warrant for that and for salazars sake I didn’t do anything so just stop it!” Draco said pissed stepping in front of him as the kids stared.
“Doing my job malfoy, you can’t blame me. There are terrible things happening and they all lead to you, I don’t know why no one else thinks much of it but i do and if you are saying the truth then i am probably not going to find anything anyways.” Harry snaps and draco just takes a deep breath nodding. He wants to smack harry and beat him into a pulp for making him feel like a criminal in front of his children but what can he do? He was on the wrong side of the war and this is expected. It’s still better than being in azkaban.
“Don’t break anything potter.”
“Everything seems pretty broken already.” Draco raises an eyebrow at him but harry ignores. Draco knows once harry is home he’ll laugh alongside his two friends maybe more about how poor the malfoy heir is.
Draco turns his attention towards scorpius and estella guiding them to the bed. “Shall i call luna to take care of you two while i am gone? Won’t take long, just need to give some ingredients to mr.potter.”
“I don’t like him one bit dad.” Scorpius pouts.
“I don’t either but you attacked him so he is a bit pressed about it.” Draco himself couldn’t believe why potter from all people was so childish about this.
“I found the stone first!”
“And look where has that led us.”
“I am sorry.” He says sadly and draco smiles shushing him.
“It’s alright and anyways they need my help so i think mr.potter will be around for a little while, why don’t you be on your best behavior so he can see differently.”
“Why we care?” Estella asks glaring at harry who walks around ruining their studio in absolute pleasure.
“We don’t but then I won’t have to waste time catering to mr.potters anger and the earlier we get the work done, the faster he leaves. Now that sounds nice doesn’t it.” Draco whispers and the two giggle when a yelp is heard and a box falls to the ground. Draco turns around to see all stones scattered on the floor as scorpius rushes to pick them up.
“Don’t! Someone must have planted them here!” Harry shouts taking out his wand and looking around.
“Yes,me.” Draco says confused.
“What?” Harry gawks. “Why would you have magical stones stored in your home?” He stresses seeing an angry scorpius picking them up.
“They aren’t magical potter, not as far as i know.” Draco hesitates because he thought the same about the first stone but it turned out magical.
Harry snatches the box from scorpius and waves his wand around, upon seeing no traces of magic much to draco’s relief he hands them over back to scorpius who’s anger seems to boil to no end. “What is your problem!” Scorpius screams then tears start rolling down his eyes as he wipes them profusely. Estella upon seeing this walks to harry shakily then furiously starts punching him on his legs with her tiny fists barely hurting harry. Draco is about to retrieve her and calm scorpius down but harry raises his hand stopping him and bends down to scorpius’s level. He doesn’t stop estella from punching him who now with greater advantage due to his bended state starts slapping his chest. “Isstewpid.” She grunts.
Harry chuckles. “I am sorry for being stupid, how about you forgive me?" And estella nods no slapping him more making him stumble back falling to the ground as she attacks him and harry laughs clearly enjoying it.
"Estella stop now." Draco says sternly and she does going back to scorpius.
"Hey, i meant it. How about we start again?" He sits up and says to estella who sneers at him then to scorpius. "I know we started badly and truth be told i exaggerated because of..." His eyes trail up to draco's and as draco's breath hitches thinking harry will out him he smiles and says. "Just didn't have a good day at work."
"It's fine." Scorpius grumbles patting estella's hair. "Just don't take other people's stuff."
"Hmm, are you sure about that? All these stones belonged to someone else as well." Harry raises an eyebrow.
"They were on a construction site potter." Draco intervenes. "My son would never steal." Draco says remembering the times in hogwarts when with crabbe and goyle he'd sneak in other's presents in his pocket.
"Of course i didn't mean that." Harry says carefully also remembering the time he alongside ron drank the polyjuice and turned into crabbe and goyle witnessing draco's stealing. "But i think we should return them."
"Why!?" Scorpius screams and slumps to the ground frustratedly.
"Potter the stones are harmless, lets just go to my potions shop."
"See this is where you are wrong malfoy, the previous stone didn't have a trace but maybe it was deactivated and with the right spell or potion it could be activated." Harry says standing up picking one stone much to scorpius's annoyance.
"Uhh are you certain about that, these stones have been with us for long." Draco says feeling fear sink inside him thinking that he brought harm inside his own home. His own negligence could lead to something disastrous.
"Not to worry, i suspect most of these stones could be beneficial rather than dangerous. I have to take them to the ministry." Harry says and turns to scorpius. "Young man if you have more stones, let me know." He smiles gently.
"No!" Scorpius argues. "These are my stones! Dad please don't let him take them."
"Hey these aren't really your stones and the people it belonged to will be happy if we return them in better condition."
"Potter please, my son found them and if those people needed them they would have searched for it, these stones have been on a muggle website since very long and in very cheap prices."
"It's still not right, they aren't yours. If it wasn't magical i wouldn't care much but..."
"You aren't even sure if they are magical."
"Let me find out first!"
"Potter honestly i cannot and if it wasn't for your position in this world, i would have hexed you!" Draco says frustratedly.
"Oh so now you show me your real face, took you long enough."
"Dad! we are muggles we cannot hex him."
"Uggh the muggles. You are not"
"Potter don't"
"Fine, just let me check them and i will return them. Alright promise." Harry says hands on his hips to scorpius who seems to think then nods no.
"I don't trust you." He says and estella nods sneering.
"Doesn't matter because i am an auror and i get to decide. So hand it over or i will use magic."
"Magic on the defenseless? Are you a child?" Draco raises an eyebrow as he sees this childish act. "Hand them over scorpius, they weren't selling anyways."
"But it's all i got."
"I will try to get them back, i promise." Draco assures.
Scorpius nods and hands the box over to harry. "Thankyou and i"
"Save it potter." Draco interrupts. "I will be back soon so be on your best behavior. Okay?" The two nod sadly at the loss of stones.
"Are you not going to cook or something? For them?" Harry questions.
"I have unless you want to of course cook something for them." Harry sighs and walks out with a tired draco behind. Draco can't wait for this day to end. As they descend down the stairs he can't help but ask." What's the deal really potter? Why so childish? They are children and you of all people as much as i hate to say it seem to be the nicest to children."
Harry groans rubbing his stubble. "I know i got too angry but people can be evil and in this job you don't know."
"People can but not children."
"Are you forgetting the choices we had to make as children?"
"We surely weren't eight. I know you despise me and i don't blame you but my children are harmless."
"So why the act? They aren't muggles."
"Its easier to live like this and its not like this world will accept my children anyways, i am saving them from the trauma."
"See you can't blame me for having my doubts if the entire world has them."
"You are supposed to be different, aren't you?"
"I am tired of being, i rather just blend. To say i didn't suffer would be an understatement, you can't imagine the doubts i have when stuff like this happens."
"Stuff like this? Anything bad happens its easy to point fingers at me but i am surely not the only bad person on your list."
"In this moment its just you." Harry says without reluctance and draco halts, he didn't expect this at all. "After everything i thought you'd change and do something differently but all this happens and it narrows down to you, Some people don't change. Like you malfoy."
"Some do, like you." Draco smiles stepping outside. Harry was wrong but it didn't matter to draco to prove him otherwise.